


Mingling Dimensions

by Athanasia (angelusmusicorum)



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-04 09:43:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18341117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelusmusicorum/pseuds/Athanasia
Summary: Not a request. Reader and Barry have been dating for a while when they start arguing about how Barry always drops their plans because of Iris. Before they can resolve things, Zoom transports her to earth-2 where she meets Barry from earth 2 and they fall in love with each other. However just when things start to get serious, Team Flash from Earth 1 is there and trying to bring her back?[I am the writer of the orphaned story but I'm editing it]





	1. The Truth Hurts

“You're making a big deal out of this, Y/N!” Barry raised his arms up in exasperation.

“Am I, Barry? It doesn't seem like it when you always ditch me the second that Iris calls!”

“What do you expect me to do? Ignore her Y/N, she's been there for me for as long as I can remember!” Barry raised his voice at you which would've normally made you uncomfortable if you weren't super mad.

“Of course not but I would like it if you wouldn’t ditch me on our anniversary when she calls you asking you to bring her some pizza! Pizza! Like she couldn't have them deliver to her?”

“They're four states away so of course they don't deliver!”

“That doesn't just mean she can order you to get some for her on our **anniversary** ! You think that today of all days would be off-limits!”

“You know she still is hung up over Eddie’s death. She needs all my support.”

You laughed bitterly, “Does she really? Or do you just want to take your chance and comfort her now that he's gone?”

“What are you trying to say?” Barry’s face twisted with an indescribable look.  

“I'm trying to say that I feel like you're still in love with her, Barry. That now that Eddie is gone, you're taking your chance to make her Iris West-Allen. “

“You're my girlfriend, Y/N!” Barry cried indignantly.

You swept your hands over your face slowly, dread filling your soul, “You didn't even deny it.” Your words came out quietly and painfully. Uncomfortable silence filled the air, there was so much that could be said and yet you couldn’t bring yourself to say anything. What else was there to say?

“Y/N-”

“I'm sorry, Barry,” Your hands balled up into fists as you turned your head away from him, “I won't get in your way anymore.” You grabbed your things from behind him and walked towards the door, stopping at it momentarily. You did your best to steel your nerves as you turned around to face him, “I wish you and Iris the best. “

You walked out of the door and out of his life. You had hoped you could show him that you didn't care with your last words but you knew you had failed from your wet cheeks and from the tremble in your voice.

You had gotten home after sometime, whether it was in minutes or hours, you couldn't tell. You fell beside the bed in violent sobs as what had happened registered- along with the fact that he didn’t go after you.

You were an idiot to fall in love with Barry Allen. You were an idiot to think that he would love you back. You were an idiot to not worry about why it was Iris that married Barry in the future. You were an idiot to get involved and it was only your fault that you had gotten hurt in the end.

-

Three weeks later, everything was mostly settled between the two of you. Well- not really. You avoided him and Iris whenever they were within a certain distance, you deleted his messages and voicemails, you only helped S.T.A.R Labs from home, and lastly, you changed your relationship status on Facebook to being single. At first, you had attempted to hang out with Caitlin and Cisco but it proved to be more awkward until the relationship fell out. Harry was still in contact with you though, of course, he wasn’t one to go out of his way to hang out which you understood.

You were on your way, leaving to grab dinner when there was a knock on your door. Jay Garrick stood at your door sheepishly.

“Jay! I- uh, I wasn’t expecting someone. What brings you by?”

He gestured behind you, “Is it okay if I come inside?”

You backed out of the doorway to let him in, “Yeah of course, come in.”

He came inside and closed the door behind you.

“I need your help, Y/N.”

“Yeah of course, whatever I can do- but what about the others? You’d have a better shot with them than me.” You focused attentively, a bit on edge.

“No.. This is only something you can help with, Y/N.” He was looking at everywhere but you, examining his surroundings.

“What’s wrong? You’re worrying me..”

Slowly, he turned to look at you with the most sadistic grin. It happened in a blur, you felt him grab you by your waist before the surroundings became a blur. It was making you dizzy but you didn't want to close your eyes because you were too terrified.

It was bright, the blurriness that eventually receded back into what you saw before or rather, something similar. He dropped you on the floor and laughed at your terrified expression, rolling his eyes when you attempted to crawl back to put some distance between you.

“What are you doing?”

It was like a switch, all of a sudden, the Jay that you knew disappeared as he explained that his real name was Hunter- and that he was Zoom. He ignored all your questions on where you were, why he was doing this, or how you were involved in whatever he was planning.

 “Have fun, Y/N. You won’t be seeing me again.” He sped off to wherever after which, you noticed that he had left you with a woman that was leaning against a stone pillar, nonchalantly.

She gazed at you with a scowl, “I can't believe he decided to bring you back out of all the people.. Well.. I guess that's what makes him Zoom.”

Unsurprisingly, it was her voice that made you recognize her for she looked different from the counterpart that you knew.

“Caitlin? What happened to your hair?” You stared at the silver haired Caitlin in confusion.

She strutted towards you with a scowl on her face, “I hate that name. I'm Killer Frost. I'm assuming that you were friends with me on the other Earth.”

You nodded.

“Well then. Sorry to break the news to you but I'm not the goody two shoes over there. I work with Zoom.”

Your jaw dropped while your mind went off in haywire. Why would Caitlin ever- Wait-

“Are you a metahuman?” You blurted it out before you could think, before you could play your cards right.

“Look at that.. Ten points for Y/F/N.” You barely registered her hands raising in time before you were knocked out with her powers. Never hearing her apologize to you.

“M-Miss? Um..” You heard a nervous voice call out to you as they tried to shake you awake. It sounded familiar but you couldn't figure out who it was for some reason.

“Stop it, Barry. She's still resting..” A feminine voice rang out through the room, which you recognized immediately. Iris. You groaned. Out of all the people to save you it had to be-

“See! She's awake. Come on just let me talk to her, Iris. “

For once, you hoped, Iris was on your side and wouldn’t let Barry near you.

“ **Fine** but make it quick, she needs rest.”

 _And_ of course she wasn’t.

You heard her heels clacking against the floor and the door closing. Your eyes rolled back in exasperation, though thankfully Barry couldn’t see it since your eyes were still closed. You could practically feel him right beside you since he gave off such a nervous energy. He coughed awkwardly before you decided that you should stop your ruse.

“Barry.” You grounded out his name before you turned towards him. Your eyes fell open in shock at the sight of the man. His hair was pushed back and he was wearing glasses. You would’ve teased him if it weren’t for your disgruntlement towards him. You glanced down and noticed that he was in a full grey suit, a cardigan underneath, a terribly adorable red bow tie completing the entire ensemble. You wanted to giggle but you stifled it instead asking harshly, “What’s with the getup?”

He blushed and looked down, tinkering with his tie, “W-What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s just not what you usually wear.”

He stared at you in confusion, his hands let go of his tie, falling slowly, “I’ve dressed like this my entire life- And speaking of which, how did you know my name was Barry?”

This felt like a ridiculous game, you turned towards him, ready to yell at him to just leave you alone when your eyes locked on his. His hazel eyes were filled with honest confusion and a lack of familiarity for you. It was then you understood. Why Caitlin was so different, why Iris had the nerve to be near you, and why Barry was quite frankly dressed like an old man.

You swallowed your surprised, “I’m sorry. I-I must’ve mistaken you for someone else. And as for your name- I heard your.. girlfriend call you that earlier.”

He blushed, “Who Iris? She isn’t my girlfriend-” You groaned at the appearance of the blush. Of course even in a different dimension, Barry was still in love with Iris. It was like they were made for each other. Bartholomew (you needed to differentiate between the two and you decided that Bartholomew simply suited this classic Barry) continued, “-She’s like my sister. That would be so weird if she was my girlfriend.”

Well.. You certainly weren’t expecting that though you couldn’t really believe him since he still looked like the Barry you knew, regardless of how he was dressed and his mannerism.

“Right.” You coughed. His gaze was still focused on you and honestly it was a bit unnerving. “So you wanted to ask me questions?”

“O-Oh- right. Well, you were just dropped in the CCPD by Killer Frost so we just needed you to answer some questions about yourself so we know you won’t pose a threat to us..” Your mind registered his words. Killer Frost? The last thing you remembered was this Earth’s Caitlin- though you supposed that was her identity here. Bartholomew took your silence the wrong way and sputtered out nervously, “Not that we think you’re suspicious or anything! I, for one, think you’re nice. I mean you’re beautiful and you’re hurt so obviously, you aren’t in cahoots with them.”

It was true that you weren’t but you thought it was a bit stupid of Bartholomew to dismiss any possible danger about you just because you were hurt and beautiful.

“Well then, Bartholomew-” He balked at the name which was unfortunate for him because you needed a way to differentiate this Barry from _him_. “Shoot. I’ll answer your questions while i’m still awake and bored.”

He ruffled his gelled hair slightly before he finally sat down in the chair beside the bed you were in. You took his nervousness as a chance to survey your surroundings which you recognized- or at least somewhat- as St. Andrews Hospital.

Bartholomew smiled at you as if to defuse any tension, “Well then.. For starters, can I ask for your name and where you’re from?”

“Y/F/N Y/L/N. I’m from Central City.”

“Your prints weren’t in the system-”

You laughed. “Let me rephrase that. I’m from Central City. But from a different dimension.”


	2. This Could Be Home

He gaped at you, the notebook he was writing in dropped on the floor. “Sorry- I think I heard you incorrectly, what?”

“I’m sure you know what Zoom can do, yes?” You waited for him to nod hesitantly as he awkwardly went to pick up the things he dropped. “I’m.. friends with his enemy from my Earth. I guess he decided that getting to me would get to him.”

“So what you’re saying is that Zoom brought you to a whole different universe in order to get at your friend?”

You shrugged, “Probably. I’m not sure if that’s his actual reason. Caitli- er.. Killer Frost seemed to know the me from this universe so I wonder if that has to do with anything.. All I remember is getting into a fight with my friend and then being dragged here by Zoom.”

He paused in his scribbling and stood up, “I should tell Iris..”  

The door swung open, heels clacking along the floor as Iris stepped into the room, “No need.”

You gritted your teeth together as you let yourself take her in. She was beyond gorgeous in this dimension; a perfect mixture of badass and elegance.

“Iris, what are you doing? I thought you left.”

She raised her perfect brow, “Did you really think I would leave you alone with Y/N here-” She waved her hand in your direction, “-when she could be dangerous?”

You piped up, “But I’m not.”

She nodded dismissively, “For now”

Your hands fisted the blankets as you kept your eyes locked on hers. It was like the two of you were fighting over something though you didn’t know what.

She cleared her throat, “Well.. We may know you’re not dangerous but we still don’t know what Zoom’s intentions with you are.”

You snorted, “You make it as though as he’s trying to date me.” Your hands subconsciously rubbed at your neck.

Bartholomew seemed sick at the thought, his face scrunched in disgust and a shade of bluish purple covered his features.

Iris narrowed her eyes at you, “Yeah.. Well, hopefully for your sake, he isn’t. But my point is, we need to keep you under surveillance until we know what is happening. “

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not.” She said dryly. “We still don’t know where or  **who** you should stay with but we have some time since you’ll be stuck in the hospital for a few more days.”

“How do you know I’ll even be here long? Maybe he’ll send me back long before.”

“Sweetheart, this is Zoom we’re talking about. You aren’t going back- at least alive. And here I thought you would know enough about him to help us.” She was treating you as if you were an idiot. If you were strong enough, you were sure that you would have jumped off the bed to throttle her; the anger for her counterpart still strong.

“I think you’re overestimating my worth. I didn’t know much about Zoom, what I thought was true apparently was all wrong. Everything I knew was just because I happened to be there. They didn’t want me to know anything. And I’m not even important to Barr- his enemy.”

“And who was his enemy on your Earth?”

You were still reluctant to say his name, “We called him the Flash or the Scarlet Speedster.”

“And his civilian identity?”

You gritted your teeth together, “Look. I’m not going to spill everything I know to you. How do I know that  **you** aren’t dangerous?”

She scowled at you and stepped closer to you, only for Bartholomew to stand up from his seat, stepping in front of you slightly. Her scowl deepened, “I guess you don’t but we don’t even know if you’re telling us the truth so until then, you’re under surveillance. I’ll come back to tell you who you’re staying with.”

Bartholomew swallowed shallowly, “She can stay with me.”

Iris’ head snapped up at an alarming rate. “What? Barry, you can’t! You aren’t able to protect yourself if she does anything.”

“Iris, I know how to protect myself and I’m sure Y/N should prefer to room with someone she knows.” He turned to you, asking you, “You uh know my counterpart right? It seemed like you do.”

_ I mean…  _ “Technically.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. If looks could kill then Bartholomew would have been buried to the ground. But he barely showed any fear. Iris raised her head haughtily, “She can room with me then.”

“I’m pretty sure that she prefers me over you at the moment, Iris. “

Well. He wasn’t wrong. You had grudges on both their counterparts and while the grudge managed to transfer over to this world’s Iris, you couldn’t bring yourself to resent this world’s Barry.

The two of them continued to bicker amongst themselves which you didn’t bother to stop. It wasn’t everyday that you got to see Barry defend you against Iris after all.

The two managed to stop squabbling after forty-six minutes which you only knew because of the clock on the wall. They looked at you expectantly to which you replied with a “what?”

Bartholomew stepped forward, “You wouldn’t mind rooming with me, would you?”

“I guess not. It’s not as though I want to stab you in your sleep.” You hinted strongly while Iris huffed.

Bartholomew looked between the two of you anxiously, “Right.. Um..” He turned to Iris, “Why don’t you tell the CCPD while I go prepare my house?”

It took her a while to budge but she did eventually. Bartholomew headed to the door, staring at you with a soft smile, “I’ll see you tomorrow. Get some rest for now. The doctor said you should be able to be discharged in a few days.”

You nodded mutely and snuggled further into the bed you were on which earned you a chuckle from Bartholomew. The sound echoing in your ears as you were enveloped into a deep sleep.

True to his word, Bartholomew came to visit the next day. The two of you chatted aimlessly which helped you be relaxed around him. Before he left, he asked you what you needed to get while living with him. You protested that you could get the things yourself when he pointed out that you didn’t have any money and would probably want to change into something comfortable when you finally got discharged. It wasn’t until he said that his mother would buy the stuff when you finally relented, giving him a list.

It wasn’t really surprisingly to you that Mrs. Allen was still alive. Everything, well mostly everything, seemed different on this Earth so you supposed that it was only fair that she was still alive.

The next morning passed by quickly, the forms were filled out and you were finally free. Despite you being stable enough to walk by yourself, Bartholomew insisted that he help you to his car. Your arms were locked in his, making you blush profusely. You looked down at the outfit you had changed into from the ugly hospital gown. You were dressed in a loose thin white shirt that showed your belly button and skinny jeans with nicely fitting flats.

“Your mom has good taste.”

Bartholomew chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, “Yeah. She always wanted a daughter so she was more than happy to get stuff for you.”

The two of you stopped in front of his car while he unlocked it. He helped you in the passenger seat carefully.

“Well..” You brushed a lock of your hair behind your ear, “ If it’s okay with you, could we have her over for dinner sometime? I’d love it if I could thank her in person.”

He blinked in surprise and nodded slowly, “Yeah. Of course.” Your door closed before he went over to the driver’s side and started the engine. He drove in silence which you welcomed. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable or anything of the like so made you a bit surprised. You arrived at a rather modest home which made you smile. Bartholomew had practically sprinted over to your side to open your door. Your hands were clasped in his as he gripped yours tightly.

You broke the silence when you walked through the threshold of the place, “It’s nice.”

Everything was neatly organized and pictures were placed carefully around the house. At a closer examination, you realized that they were various pictures of Bartholomew in his youth, making you giggle.

“You were so adorable..” You breathed out unconsciously. Bartholomew merely smiled at you and slowly led you to the guest room he had. “I need to go check something out at the CCPD, will you be okay on your own?”

You laid down carefully on the bed and nodded, “Yeah. I’m just going to take a nap so I’ll be fine.”

He nodded and pointed in the direction of the home phone on the bedside, “I wrote my number there so if you need anything..”

“Thanks, Barry..” In your sleepiness, you didn’t bother to differentiate, though it wasn’t as if you noticed.

A warm hand was pressed against your forehead before you were lulled in a deep sleep.

You awoke to a sound of clanking pans from the kitchen.

_ ‘Bartholomew..’ _

You pushed yourself out of bed as much as your groggy state could and walked in the direction of the kitchen.

“Bartholomew? How long have you been home?”

The figure standing in front of the stove turned around, nearly scaring you. Standing tall and looking as beautiful as you saw her in the pictures from both universes, Nora Allen was a sight with her reddish-brown hair and clear blue eyes.

“O-Oh.. I’m sorry, Mrs. Allen.. I thought you were..”

She laughed, the sound playing like a lost record. She turned around and turned the stove down to a low setting before walking towards you.

“You thought that I was my son. I can’t say that it’s happened before but I understand where you got it from. I did come uninvited after all..”

Her gaze never broke from your figure which made you squirm.

She laughed to defuse any awkwardness, “I must say that I’ve never heard anyone call Barry by his full name in such a long time. How refreshing..”

You blushed, “W-Well I-”

She patted you on the head gently, “No need to explain. I’m sure we’ll know when you’re ready.” She walked back towards the stove, turning the heat back up as she mixed the mixture around.

You couldn’t stop the sigh of relief that came. You sat down at the bar stool near the island and watched her cook, “I asked him to invite you over for dinner sometime so I could thank you but it seems as though you’ve read my mind.”

She looked over her shoulder and winked at you, “It was my pleasure. It’s not everyday that your only child calls you fanatically to ask you to help him buy a bra. “

You laughed boisterously at the image.

“But still.. It was very kind of you.. And your taste in clothes is absolutely wonderful.. I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay either of you..”

She smiled at you, “How about you help me with dinner? We can start there. “

You nodded eagerly and walked over to her.

Bartholomew had come home rather late to see the two of you sitting on the couch, facing each other, and eating some pie that you had made. The image of the two of you bonding warmed his heart even though he had no clue why his mother there.

You were the first one to stop laughing as the young man cautiously put down his keys on the countertop.

“Mom? You didn’t tell me you were coming over.”

“Iris called me and asked me to watch over Y/N when she found you at the station.” Nora turned and gave you an apologetic smile. You waved it off even though you  **were** angry that that was the real reason that you met Nora in the first place.

Bartholomew saw right through you and tried to ease off your disappointment.

You smirked to ease off the guilt he felt and leaned over the couch, facing him, “So I’ve learned some interesting things about you..”

His face paled at your words, making you laugh. Nora did tell you some stuff about Bartholomew but it was more mundane things rather something embarrassing. Nora quickly caught onto your ruse and played along, “Relax, sweetheart. I didn’t tell Y/N anything too bad..” She discreetly winked at you, making you laugh.

Before he could ask more questions, Nora changed the subject with a grin.

“Y/N and I made dinner. She’s such a natural that I won’t have to worry about you poisoning yourself anymore.”

His face flushed, “Thanks, mom.” The sarcasm in his voice was weak which made Nora reply with a “No problem, dear.” as the young man walked to the dining table to eat.

Nora and you didn’t bother waiting for him to eat dinner so the two of you stayed on the couch talking. Every so often your eyes would wander away from Nora to Bartholomew who returned your glances when you weren’t looking. The woman noticed the stolen glances and hid her smile.

Her son was always awkward and so enraptured in his studies that she never saw him out with a girl. It was definitely a wonderful sight to see the beginning of what she knew would be something special.

You were nervous around Bartholomew because of your history with Barry but you were still drawn to him. Though you weren’t sure if it was residue feelings from your relationship with his counterpart. There was no denying that Bartholomew was an absolute sweetheart though.

Bartholomew, unbeknownst to you, was feeling the exact opposite. He felt peaceful the minute he met you. There was a new wave of emotion that came over him and sure, he wasn’t sure what it was but he was definitely going to find out. Especially with how happy it made him to see you and his mother getting along, even if they were joking at his own expense.

A shy smile made your way onto your lips as your glances finally met one another. You ducked your head in embarrassment. Nora laughed delightfully as Bartholomew merely smiled at your embarrassment.

The sound of her laugh made your chest grow warm. You peeked from the corner of your eye to look at Bartholomew. Your erratic heartbeat slowed as you realized how lovely this moment was. A heartfelt memory in an inviting home with wonderful people. Maybe, just maybe, this was exactly what you needed.


	3. Coffee and Sunlight

“Good morning, Y/N” Bartholomew smiled at you as you walked in the room with your messed up hair. Your hand attempted to rake through the knots, making him snort into his coffee when your nose crinkled because your hand got stuck in the mess.

“Coffee?” He offered the cup to you which you took gratefully. You drowned it, grimacing at the blackness of the drink. You looked up to see Bartholomew holding up the sugar and creamer. He set it on the counter with a laugh as you groaned.

“I take it you aren’t a morning person.”

“Not exactly..” He poured you another cup of coffee which you now added some creamer to. Your face sank contentedly as the warm drink dripped down your throat into your stomach.

Bartholomew coughed to gain your attention, “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to but I took the day off today if you wanted a tour around Central City. I know you live here but I figured I could show you around and you could tell me any differences.. If you wanted.”

You blinked, surprised. Sure, Bartholomew was nice since the moment you met him but you thought there would be an end to his chivalry since all the other counterparts that you’ve met so far were distrustful of you.

“Yeah.. That would be great!”

“Great then. Then I’ll get ready and we can go out.”

You nodded before realization hit you. You looked down at yourself and blushed. You forgot how terrible you looked in the mornings. It was unusual for you to wake up with someone in the house with you so you forgot how bad you looked. He chuckled, “It’s fine. You’re fine.”

He put his cup in the sink before he left in the direction of his room, “I’ll be ready soon.”

You followed his lead and drowned the rest of your drink before heading to your room. You brushed the knots of your hair gently, grimacing at the mess it was. Choosing a comfortable outfit, you changed and met Bartholomew out in the living room.

“Where’s Nora?” You suddenly realized the woman’s absence after an hour of getting ready. He rolled his eyes playfully, “My dad couldn’t bear for her to be away so he picked her up.”

You smiled, laughing into your palm, “Cute.”

The two of you exchanged glances as he mimicked your smile, “Yeah, cute.”

Bartholomew had brought you to a bunch of places around Central City. While you found that the overall idea was the same, you noticed the whole image that the Central City here and the one you knew were completely different. The one here was a mixture of the past and the future which you found awfully thrilling. The two of you compared notes on the differences when you stopped at a small restaurant nearby.

“Okay so I have to find out if the Big Belly Burger here is as good as over there.”

“The what?”

“Big Belly Burger! It’s a food chain, do you guys not have it here?”

He shook his head.

Your disappointment was obvious but you tried to hide it, “Then you have to take me to the best place here.”

“ _ That _ , I can do.” He brought you to the said restaurant while you both exchanged information. Bartholomew’s eyes sparkled adorably at the new information that he gained from you. Slowly, after discussing things, the two of you fell into a comfortable silence. Your food was served after a while which apparently gave Bartholomew the courage to finally speak again.

“Could.. Could I ask you something, Y/N?”

You nodded, spinning your pasta around your fork, “Yeah. What’s up?”

“How well do you know the me from your Earth?”

Your hand froze at the question. You swallowed shallowly.

“Are we-,” He coughed, ”Are  **you** not close?” He wrung his hands nervously as if your answer would completely change the small friendship that you guys had started with each other.

“We’ve been friends for a couple of years.” You reluctantly confessed. He noticed your reluctance and directed his full attention to your words. You continued slowly, “I met you- I met  **him** when I started working at the school nearby. I was a substitute for the cooking teacher there. Of course, no one told me about the kidnapping that recently took there. That’s why Barry was there. He works with the CCPD as their forensic scientist.”

You glanced at Bartholomew nervously from the corner of your eye at the similarity.

“He burst into the classroom because he saw smoke and thought something bad was happening. A student just burnt his food. He apologized to me and we went out for coffee. It wasn’t long before we were glued to each other’s side. I met his friends Cisco and Caitlin. And even his mentor, Dr. Wells.” You laughed at the bewildered look on his face. He practically jumped out of his seat at the fact.

“  **I** knew him?  **You** knew  **the** Harrison Wells? His theory on string phenomenology was revolutionary! I have it laminated-” His voice trailed off as you smiled at his infatuation with the man that you had grown close with.

You waved your hand dismissively with a grin, “Harry? He’s a big teddy bear. Not that impressive.” Of course you weren’t going to give him credit. The man was wonderful to you- once he warmed up to you. It was your persistence that had, in the end, gave the two of you a close friendship that gave you guys someone to confide in.

He slowly tried to calm his excitement before asking you to continue your story.

“We eventually started dating but got into a fight recently. Barry and I- Well.. There’s nothing to say besides that it wasn’t worth getting into.” An image of the magazine article with Iris West-Allen appeared in your mind as you stirred the straw in your cup of water absentmindedly.

“Sorry- I- My counterpart sounds like an idiot.” You chuckled quietly.

“It wasn’t your fault, Bartholomew. No need to apologize. I just hope you realize that it’s not you that’s the problem. I can’t exactly call you Barry unless I want to remember certain things-” You flinched at the use of the name, “If anything I should say be saying sorry.”

He shook his head, “No- It’s fine if you call me that. It sounds nice coming from you.”

“Thank you.” The two of you fell once again into a short silence before you brought up the courage to ask him, “Do you think it might be okay if I called you Bar?”

“It’s more than okay.” Smiles were exchanged, dissipating the tension.


End file.
